Konverters

Konverters, in a general sense, are devices or systems that transform input signals, energy, or data into a different form suitable for another stage of a process or device. The term covers a wide range of technologies used to change electrical quantities, representations of data, or physical quantities such as light, sound, or motion.

Common types of konverters include electrical and power converters, signal converters, and software or data format converters. Electrical converters encompass rectifiers (AC to DC), DC-DC converters (voltage level adjustment), inverters (DC to AC), and sometimes transformers that modify voltage levels. Signal konverters include analog-to-digital converters (ADC) and digital-to-analog converters (DAC), as well as format or protocol converters that adapt data from one representation or standard to another. Currency or unit converters are software or hardware tools that convert values between currencies or measurement units.

Operation and performance of konverters depend on factors such as efficiency, accuracy, latency, and noise. They often rely on calibration, reference standards, and control algorithms to ensure the desired output under varying conditions. Reliability and size can vary significantly between consumer electronics and industrial or scientific equipment.

Applications span consumer electronics, telecommunications, power systems, instrumentation, and multimedia. Examples include a smartphone charger converting mains AC to the DC voltage required by the device, a DAC converting digital audio to an analog signal, and a protocol converter translating data formats between systems. See also power electronics, data conversion, and measurement instrumentation.